Alleys of Omega
by cheezwizard93
Summary: Young Isaac is thrown into the deep end of Omega, with only his wits and his hot-headed brother to keep him safe. He and his brother have fled earth to the hub of the Terminus systems, where they have to learn that on Omega, lies are the currency and deceit is the language.
1. Lyra

"Piece of cake!"

Aran leant back in his seat, his drink cradled in his hand. The thumping music of Afterlife tickled the surface of the liquid, making it dance. I stared in his eyes for a second, waiting for him to explain the real plan, but his lips stayed sealed. He glanced around at the dancers and servers, before taking a self satisfied sip. I arched forward, concentrating on his arrogant eyes.

"You're talking about stealing from Aria," I said sternly, "You remember what she did to those batarians?"

His eyes briefly gained a hint of worry, before a loose smile formed at the corner of his mouth, "We're not batarians."

"You're fuckin' crazy, man! I'm not doing it." I said. I finished my drink and headed to the exit. The bouncer remained rooted to the spot as I tried to pass him. He stared threateningly at me as I scraped by. As I emerged into the smog-strewn stench of Omega's street, I fumbled for a cigarette in my pocket. I planted it between my lips as I scanned the steps of Afterlife, the crowd of people moving and shifting was almost hypnotic. Staring for two long gets you a cracked skull, so I turned my attention to the balcony overlooking lower Omega. As I stared down at all the flickering lights and shadows, I ignited my cigarette.

I took a deep drag, the smoke filled my body. It gave me time to think about what Aran said. Even if by some miracle we were to get away with _stealing from Aria_, what then? We couldn't sell it on Omega, so we'd need to get a ship offworld. We can't afford a ship, so we would have to rent one, but who sees all the shipping records? Aria. Sometimes my brother just dosen't think about things, once he gets an idea he-

"Excuse me".

A soft voice appears behind me. I turn my head, and am blown away. I discover a beautiful asari, with a face of azure blue, and the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen. I am speechless, I stare for a second or two before she speaks again,

"Have you got a light?"

"I, uh...Yeah, sorry."

I awkwardly pass her the lighter, which is still in my (now unusually sweaty) hand.

"Thanks."

She lights her cigarette, which illuminates her perfect face in the half-light of Omega. Her face is caressed by light grey smoke, as it adds to the everpresent fog over the street.

"Lyra", she says, handing me back my lighter.

"Uh...Isaac", I reply nervously.

"Nice to meet you, Isaac", She leans on the railing, peering over the side. She slowly turns back to face me, propping her elbow on the edge, "So, how come I've never seen you 'round Omega before?"

I take as second before replying, concentrating on forming words, "I just got here with my brother, we had to leave Earth."

"Running from something?" she asked, blowing a stream of smoke past my ear.

"Something like that", I replied, looking into the chaos below.

"Well, you came to the right place"

I turned back to her, her cigarette lit her face. Satin smoke left her lips as she continued, "Omega is full of dirty little secrets"

My gaze lingered for a second before I allowed a small smirk to mark my face. I took one last drag on my cigarette before, asking hesitantly, "So, what's yours?"

"Baby, you wouldn't believe me if I told you", she said, captivating me with every syllable. She flicked her cigarette over the edge, and pushed herself up. She turned to me with a fleeting glance, and said softly, "See you round, Isaac".

She immediately blended with Omega's mass of people and she was gone. I wasn't usually into Asari but she was the most seductive being I had ever spoken to. As I peered into the crowd, trying to catch a swift look, a voice I recognized emerged from the din,

"Isaac!"

My brother approached from the steps of Afterlife, waving at me. I turned briefly before monitoring the crowd again.

"Who was that?" My brother asked.

"Dosen't matter", I answered, as I slowly turned from the search.

"Well, let's go then", My brother proceeded towards a cab. I followed, after another glace into the masses.

We both climbed into the cab, before it streaked into the endless lines of traffic.


	2. Jeet

Aran and I began to approach the door at the end of the corridor. We were flanked by opaque perspex doors with holographic locks. The walls were stained with old leaks which made the paint peel. The floor always stuck to your shoes, making a velcro-ripping sound as you walked. There was a constant stale odour, which could have been the overflowing waste outside or the vorcha that dotted the corridors, who hiss as you pass them. Aran never looked, he always kept his gaze focused straight ahead of him. As we arrived at the door, Aran placed his hand on the lock, it whirred and lit up with his omni-tool for a few seconds. He beckoned me over sternly, and I stood waiting next to him. The lock beeped irregularly, and the door opened a crack. I shot my hands in as the door began to slowly close, buffering on my fingers. I pulled it open enough so Aran could squeeze through, who held it open for me. Once we were both inside, the door softly closed behind us.

The room was lit with an ultraviolet hue, with metal cans intermittently strewn across the floor. There was an unconscious turian propped against a wall in front of the door. We continued through past the kitchen, which had lost all semblance of its functionality. The sink was filled with broken cups and plates, and any food preparing equipment had long been removed or broken. The only function it served now was an extra room for inter-species sex, at that moment, we were treated to human-on-turian. The corridor lead to a doorway, minus a door. The room was lit by a small, red lamp and contained a solitary mattress, a long table and a fornax poster (hanar pinning a woman to a bed). This was our home.

I threw my jacket into a corner, it was caught briefly on some exposed brick before falling to a heap. I peered out of the tiny window, looking at the streaks of light from cabs passing by. Aran lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I could hear him breathing from the window, I could tell he was frustrated. I went to perch on the table, so I could face him. I stared at him for a few seconds, thinking of how best to dress my words.

"You know it won't work", I finally said.

"Of course it will", Aran replied confidently. "My plans never fail."

My eyes stayed with him for a second before being drawn to the doorway. A salarian poked his head into the room.

"Hey Aran! I thought I saw you come in!", He said excitedly with his arms raised as he entered.

"Hey Jeet, what's up?", Aran said, sitting up.

"Not much, not much. Just wondering if you gave any more consideration to my offer?", Jeet said, propping himself on the crumbling wall adjacent to the doorway.

"My brother dosen't think it'll work", Aran replied, gesturing lazily to me.

Jeet looked up and glared at me, "With all due respect, kid, what the fuck do you know?"

I met his gaze and straightened up.

Jeet looked back to my brother, his face now friendly again, "I'm slowly working on the finer details, but I need you to do something for me".

Aran turned to me. I made the disapproval show in my eyes, before Aran turned back to Jeet, "What do you need?"

"You need to talk to a trader", Jeet said quickly.

"Talk to a trader? Why do _we_ have to?" I asked suspiciously.

"_Because_, I have a history with this guy, and if I go to him, he's gonna know somethings up".

"Who is this guy? What does he have to do with Aria?" Aran asked.

"He he, This '_guy_' is Aria's main exporter of Hallex, this '_guy_' is our ticket to the biggest score of our lives!" Jeet answered excitedly, his head shaking slightly.

"So, we go talk to this guy, then what? 'Hey my man, where do you keep all your fuckin' Hallex?'" I asked sarcastically.

"No. You subtly imply, you can be a valuable asset to the business, that if the going gets tough, you're the go-to guys, get it?" Jeet eyed us both suggestively.

"How are we gonna do that? They've already got tonnes of muscle and sellers, why would they want us?" Aran said, slightly confused.

Jeet shifted excitedly on the wall, "You're gonna love this, you say you can get it onto the Citadel".

Aran and I stared for a second, Jeet's eyes darted back and forth between us, occasionally nodding.

I finally said it, "So? Citadel is full of Hallex".

"Hallex has completely dried up on the citadel since C-Sec have cracked down on smugglers, every twitchead on that station is gonna pay triple for any Hallex they can find", Jeet replied, now visibly shaking with glee.

"I got my hands on a code that flags our ship as safe, so they won't touch you!" Jeet added, before pulling out a small datapad.

"Woah", Aran said, amazed. Jeet handed the datapad to Aran, smiling widely.

"Wait a minute", I said. "I'm guessing you're not going through all this to get us a job...what's in it for you?"

Jeet paused, smirking, "Once you're on the ship, you take control and I'll meet you at the spaceport".

"'_Take control of the ship'_?" I asked.

Jeet rolled his eyes, "Your brother, he's a real tough nut to crack. Everything will become apparent".

Jeet stood up and moved towards the doorway, as he left he called back, "I'll be in touch, fellas!"

I turned to Aran, who lay back on the bed. He closed his eyes before voicing contentedly, "See? Its all gonna be fine".

I stood up, speechless. I opened my mouth to restart the debate, but instead formed an annoyed grunt. I decided to try and catch another inter-species sex show.


	3. Market

I awoke the next day to the usual din of orgasm cries and spacebass. My brother was in a grunting heap next to me. I pulled on my stale trousers and ran my fingers through my hair, it was becoming a chore. I ambled through to the kitchen-of-times past, yawning. The performers from last night were passed out in the middle of the floor. I peered behind the old fridge and found what I was looking for, the bag of chocolate I had hidden. I made my way back to our room, eating merrily. I picked up an issue of fornax from the floor and began thumbing through it as I perched on the table. I managed to get through four pages, before I had had enough.

My brother's omni-tool began to flash. He was slowly roused by the shrill noise it was making. He tapped it and tried to focus on the message. His eyes widened, and sat up, rigid. He scrambled to pur his trousers on, fumbling for a few seconds with his belt. he pulled his boots on and beckoned sternly for me to do the same. He grabbed his jacket and threw mine to me. He strode past me, while commanding, "Come on". I zipped my jacket up, and followed behind him. He finally spoke out in the corridor, "Jeet's ready".

We stood in the lower wards for about twenty minutes before Jeet showed up. He approached us swiftly, darting his eyes at everyone he passed. He gestured us to get closer to the wall before whispering, "OK, the trader is in the market, she dosent have a stall but is stood near Harrot's. When you approach her, say you're looking to buy some Hallex. When she takes you around to the boxes, say that you have a contact at C-Sec who has a code that can get you past the security check-"

"She's not going to believe that!" I interrupted.

"No, of course she isn't", Jeet retorted. "But then you show her the code, and say 'Bellamy is going to let us in'".

"Bellamy? Who's Bellamy?" Aran asked.

"I'm Bellamy. I mean, that code is from Bellamy, I'll be approving your ship as Bellamy".

"And will she be convinced by the crucial name-drop of Bellamy?" I asked, mildly sarcastically.

"She will", Jeet said, sternly.

"What about the mercs she's with? How are we gonna get control of the ship?", Aran pressed.

"You two _are_ the mercs," Jeet said, eyeing us both.

Aran and I stared silently at Jeet, who eventually smirked and let out a half-laugh. He handed Aran a picture which he studied for a few seconds before stuffing into his pocket. Jeet patted me on the shoulder, smiling, causing me to grimace. He set off rapidly, into the ambing crowds. Aran nudged my arm, signalling me to follow him. We proceeded into the market place which was alive with lights and chatter, people knocked us as we moved through the crowd. He scanned the perimeter of the market, taking in everyone's face. He briefly looked at the picture again, and squinted at it.

"Over there", He said, stuffing the picture into his pocket. He moved strongly through the crowd as I followed in his wake, as the crowd cleared we approached a stall with an elcor behind it. Aran told me to wait by the stall as he walked toward some adjacent crates. the screen of people was gone now, allowing me to scan the area. Aran was now talking to an asari perched on a box, smoking.

"Lyra".


	4. Departure

My eyes widened and my heart leapt to my mouth. I thought I would never see her again, but there she was, clear as water. She turned to move out of sight and Aran beckoned to me to follow. I heeded his order with haste as we moved to an unseen area of the market. We stood next to a broken-down cab, in a derelict space behind Harrot's shop. My brother drummed his fingers on the side of the vehicle, in a regular beat. It was deafening, the anticipation was killing me. My brother was unspeaking, his eyes fixed on a set of crates over the alley.

"So, where is she?" I finally said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"She's getting our Hallex", Aran replied curtly.

"Did you mention the citadel?" I asked.

I heard a click to my left, followed by a familiar voice sounding like an unknown to me, "What about the citadel?"

I strained my eyes to look, and could make out the immaculate asari with a shotgun aimed at my brother and I. Aran reached for the datapad in his pocket, "We-"

"Hey sailor", Lyra interrupted, raising the shotgun. "Hands where I can see them".

Aran's hands shot away from his pocket and above his head.

"We can get you on the citadel", I stated abruptly. "With a code on that datapad".

Lyra stayed silent for a moment, before speaking, "The citadel? So, why shouldn't I just kill you and take the code myself?"

"Because it needs to be approved by C-Sec, and we have a guy", I said quickly, with sweat forming on my brow.

Lyra laughed, "You have a '_guy_'?"

"Yeah, we do!" Aran said quickly. "His name is Bellamy"

Lyra was about to speak, but stopped. She recognized the name, and her gun lowered slightly. She took a step back, but raised her gun again.

"How do you know Bellamy?" she asked, more aggressive than before.

I was speechless. Jeet didn't prepare us for this, we didn't know Bellamy and she knew it. I started to panic, sweat now trickling down my nose. I tried turning to Aran, but he was looking at the ground. I was about to answer with a rushed excuse, except Aran beat me to it.

"He said you'd be too scared to go", Aran stated, turning to Lyra.

"How? I, I-", she stuttered, her gun shaking slightly now. "When did you speak to Bellamy?"

Her voice quivered slightly, but still remained commanding. Her face was slightly softer too, from what I could see. Aran's hands dropped slowly, and he turned to Lyra.

"On the citadel", he said. "He said you could get Hallex to the citadel, but you wouldn't because you're scared to go back there".

Lyra's arms dropped to her waist. She replaced the shotgun on her hip, and walked towards us. She scanned us both with her immaculate eyes, her brow furrowing slightly. In one movement, she grabbed my brothers collar and slammed him into a crate behind. her hand was swimming with a biotic glow, as she leered into his eyes. I was rooted to the spot, as Aran squirmed helplessly in her grip. Her face moved closer to his, her gaze fixed on his.

"Do I look scared?", she asked with threat in her voice. Aran stared for a moment before shaking his head.

"Datapad. Now", she demanded. Aran reached down and pulled the datapad from his pocket. She snatched the datapad from his fingers, and released him. She studied it for a moment, befor turning and walking down the alley. Aran opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by Lyra shouting back,

"This way!"

Aran looked at me, disbelieving. I returned the look, before he shrugged and smiled, following Lyra down the vacant alley. I sighed briefly in hesitance. I continued afrter Lyra and Aran, the noise of the market becoming ever more distant. A light at the end of the pathway flickered and buzzed. The two silhouettes getting larger as I approach, the murmur getting louder. I proceed through the doorway into a bright room with walls lined with metallic shelves. Lyra slammed the shutters down behind me and moved over to a table with several brown boxes on it.

"Empty these boxes, into these canisters", she said sternly before pulling a box down from the shelf, which clanked as she dropped it. She started to walk toward a smaller door on the opposite wall. Aran started up as the door slid open,

"Where are you going?"

She didn't break her stride at all in answering, "For a smoke". The door slid shut behind her, with a whooshing sound. Aran immediately looked up at me,

"This is it, bro!"

"Are you sure? I don't like this", I replied, eyeing the door.

"Look, I know it's a big thing", Aran said, assuringly. "But, I would never put you in something that I couldn't handle".

I looked back down, loading pills into the canisters. Aran kept his gaze fixed on me.

"Hey", he said reaching across and squeezing my arm. I looked up at him before he continued, "You're my brother. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you".

He smiled at me, something I very rarely see. I return a weak smile and continue with my task. After we finish the last canister, Lyra returned to the room. She glanced at the cans and nods. She is immaculately beautiful, yet for her soft features and dainty frame, she is powerful and controlling. She gestured to me before ordering,

"You. Load them into the box".

I could now deduce she does not remember me, which seemed right because I'm usually forgotten by acquaintances. I began loading the canisters into the box. She spoke to me again,

"When you're done, bring it outside". She gestured to Aran to follow her through the smaller door. The canisters get surprisingly heavy when theyre full of pills. As I load the last one, I attempt to pick up the box. It is was heavy a bucket of Mercury. I strained to lift it and managed to get it at a suitable height for walking. I moved towards the door, panting and grunting, my fingers gorged with blood. I elbowed the door release and it flew open. Through the door was a small hangar, devoid of any other people. A small cargo runner sat in the bay, with Aran opening some barrels on its deck. I lugged the crate over to the loading ramp, veins popping in my neck. Lyra appears at the top, and stops when she sees me,

"Oh, how masculine", she says, sarcastically.

She raises her hand which releases a blue aura, engulfing the crate. The weight disappeared immediately as it floated effortlessly beside her on the cargo deck. She strode past me as I looked at her, she was perfect. Aran beckoned me over,

"Put the canisters into the barrels, six to a barrel".

I nodded obediently and started to put the canisters into the barrels. The clanging sound I expected did not come, instead came a squelching noise. I peered into the barrel to find a translucent gel, engorging the canisters.

"Medigel. For C-Sec", Aran explained. "When we get it through, we pull them out with a magnet and roll them to to the med-bay"

Lyra appeared at the bottom of the ramp, leaning on the ramp's hydraulics. Her flight jacket hung to each one of her curves, with the zip half-way down. Her trousers wrapped to her legs, making the eyes wander. She studied the datapad a bit more before looking up to my brother and I,

"Ready, girls?"

Aran and I nodded in unison. She strode up the ramp, and closed it with a red button on the wall. She looked to Aran and said, "Make sure these are secure. If they're not, it's your ass". Aran began checking the fastenings on the barrels. She turned to me, her eyes meeting mine.

"Come with me", she said unblinking. "You're riding bitch".

I held her gaze nervously, before she let out a small laugh. She lead the way to the cockpit, and sat in a large chair infornt of some flashing consoles. She attended to a few, causing them to change colour, or disappear completely. I took a seat next to her, in a smaller chair infornt of a navigational map. I studied the route and entered in a course for the citadel.

"Set", I stated, while turning to her. She nodded curtly. She tapped another console and the ship began to whirr. The ship eventually began moving slowly from the hangar, and into Omega's dense asteroid field. The ship tumbled left and right, avoiding the massive rocks in the way. Lyra was in a zone of pure concentration. As we left, the asteroid field, she let out a small sigh of contentment. I remained quiet as we streaked silently through space. The stillness was broken by a small expression of mirth from Lyra.

"Looks like we have very similar dirty secrets", she said, while grinning. She then turned to me, still smiling,

"Isaac."


	5. Space

"You think I didn't remember you?" Lyra asked sweetly. "How could I forget such a pretty face?". She reached and patted my face, smiling. I laughed nervously, not looking away.

She spoke again, "So, this is what you were in on Earth, huh?"

"Not exactly", I replied. "My brother and I were in with some bad people, so we had to leave"

"So, you came to Omega?" she asked. "Home of bad people?"

"We were going to some backwater colony, but the ship we were on got pulled in by Aria", I said.

"What did she want with it?" Lyra asked curiously.

"I don't know, one thing we were flying to an colonial stinkhole, next thing we're in the terminus systems with batarians screaming in our faces", I remembered.

"So, were you scared?", Lyra asked.

"No", I said mock-bravely. "Nothing I couldn't handle". I smiled at Lyra playfully, who began to laugh,

"Yeah, you looked like a real tough guy, when I pinned your brother by Harrot's".

"Hey!" I said, laughing. "I don't mess with wome who look like they would eat you for breakfast".

"I don't eat pieces of shit for breakfast", she said, smiling.

The door to the cockpit opened behind us. Aran walked in and leant on my chair.

"How's it going in here?", he asked.

"Fine", Lyra answered. "Just getting to know your brother".

"Oh?", Aran said, who even though was behind me, I could tell had raised an eyebrow. I could also hear him letting out a soft laugh. "Do I need to get a hose?"

Lyra shook her head in annoyance. I turned round to give him a disapproving look.

"Those barrels secure?", Lyra inquired, changing the subject.

"Yeah", he replied peering through the window. "That the relay?"

Lyra sighed before answering, "Yes. That's the relay. So go and strap yourself in".

Aran chuckled, "I'll leave you two alone then."

The soft metal underfoot got more distant, and stopped as the door slid closed.

As soon as the door had closed, Lyra smirked.

"You two are nothing alike", she said, shaking her head.

"I know", I said, in agreement. "But he's my brother, and he's always been there for me"

Lyra shot me a mocking look, before miming vomiting. Her jovial look was diverted by the approach of the colossal mass relay. The ancient, metallic leviathan seemingly fixed in space, with it's magnificent, biotic gyroscopes at one end. As we approached, its mass effect field smothered the ship, pulling us into the path of it's lengthy tracks. Our rate of acceleration increased astronomically. Distant stars began to form streaks as our speed increased. A momentary blur of white and we decelerated effortlessly in front of another relay.

I remained still, in complete awe. I had never seen travel through a mass relay before, and it's breathtaking. I heard my brother shouting from the common area in the deck below. She gave me an approving nod, and I got up and made my way to Aran. The cargo hold was still, with a dozen barrels lining the wall, strapped in place. I continued down the second set of stairs to find my brother brooding over a table, with a bottle of whisky.

"Found the whisky", he said, pleased with himself looking up at me.

"Great", I said, half-heartedly. I took the seat next to him. We sat in silence for a few minutes as my brother occasionally took a long swig of whisky.

"When we get to the citadel relay...", He finally said. I looked at him, hoping for a different end to the sentence.

"...that's when we do it", he concluded. My gaze lingered on him for a second before starting,

"Do what? You remember what she did to you on Omega", I reasoned. "Besides, we don't even have any guns!"

"You seem pretty friendly with her", he said.

"Get her shotgun".


	6. Spaced

I stared at my brother a little longer, taking in his words. Get the shotgun.

"And, how am I supposed to get the shotgun?", I asked incredulously.

"She likes you, just get her distracted and *hic* get her gun", he explained, slurring slightly. he took another big gulp. He was swaying in his seat now.

"Get her gun?", I asked to clarify.

"Get her gun", he reiterated. He slumped forward on the table and started to breathe louder. I nodded slightly before getting to my feet. I paced around slightly thinking about what he had said, and how stupid it was. There had to be a better way. After a few minutes of thinking, I made my way back up to the cockpit. As the door opened, I noticed both chairs were empty. I took a few steps into the room, and scanned the interior. As I turned right, I noticed Lyra standing there, staring.

"Lyra?", I said softly.

"You gonna do it?", she asked threateningly. Her hands pulsating with blue light.

"Do what?", I said, trying to sound innocent. Lyra walked around me, facing me constantly. Her eyes were dark and sullen, she did not look like the same woman I had known. She looked savage.

"Did Aria send you?" she finally inquired. "Gotta admit its a good cover, two scared little boys falling over their own dicks". She smirked darkly, "Almost caught me off guard".

I was dumbfounded. She was intuitive but completely missed the danger. This was a claim I was genuinely innocent of.

"Lyra, what are you talking about?" i said, innocently.

"You think I couldn't hear you downstairs with your dipshit brother?" She shouted, the blue aura now pulsing up her arms.

"What did you hear?", I asked bluntly.

"You and your brother planning to steal my gun. You think a shotgun's gonna stop me?!"

Her eyes were now deep black voids. A mass effect field pulsated from her knocking me into a wall. She stared me down, breathing heavily. Biotic fields dancing around her form.

"Wait, Lyra." I said, out of breath. "You think Aria sent us? Why?"

She bore down at me, shaking with rage. "Jeet".

I gazed at her after she spoke that name. I cautiously moved back into a standing position, holding a calming hand out towards her.

"What about Jeet?", I asked, with trepidation.

Lyra glared furiously into my eyes for a few seconds. She began to calm slightly, the mass effect fields lessened, her pupils contracted and her breathing regulated. She started to sway and rock, before staggering into a wall. She lost her balance completely, and collapsed into a wall murmuring as she slid down its face.

"Lyra!", I cried before running to catch her. I knelt next to her, cradling her weakened body, as she muttered with flickering eyelids.

"Lyra, what about Jeet?", I pressed. I shook her slightly, and moved my grip so she was sat more upright.

"Lyra", I asked impatiently. "What did Jeet do?"

I was beginning to panic, as I held her. My mind was running through thousands of scenarios at once, why would she react like that? I gazed into her sublime face, made pale. Sweat had drenched her back and arms. She looked so helpless, a long way from the commanding woman who I knew she could be.

I heard the door open. Aran was here. He looked down at me, cradling Lyra. He walked over and unclipped her gun. I tried to speak, "Aran, somethings wro-".

"Tie her up, in the hold", he interrupted sternly. He checked the navcomputer, unable to focus his vision. He pressed the VI comm, "How far 'til citadel space?". A message popped up on screen '**Approx. 1 Hour**'. he slumped int he pilots chair, staring blankly out of the window.

"Nearly there, Isaac", he said calmly. "Get her sorted in the hold".

"Aran, something's not right here", I explained. "She fainted when she mentioned Jeet".

"They have a history. It's fine." he said, not turning round.

"I think something is-"

"GET HER IN THE HOLD!" He screamed, glaring at me red-faced.

I picked her up in my arms and struggled into the hold. I propped her against a barrel and began binding her arms with spare bungee cords. Her skin was soft, but her limbs felt thin. She looked weak against the barrel. After she was bound, Ipropped myself against a barrel on the opposite wall, staring at the unconscious woman. She stirred from time-to-time, her brow occasionally furrowed, or her eyelids flickered. Until she eventually roused into consciousness. I scrambled over to her side attentively. As she began to open her eyes properly, I whispered softly,

"Don't panic. You're tied up, but I can explain". She began to struggle slightly so I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"My brother made me tie you up, we're going to the citadel", I added as calmly as I could.

She grunted quietly before whispering, "Jeet".

"Jeet?", I queried. Before she could answer, the ship began to accelerate. The hull shook slightly to a low hum. We were passing through the relay for the citadel. As we made the jump, Lyra woke up with a start. Her eyes darted around, and her biotics flared around her arms. She was restrained, but it was still unnerving.

"We're going right to them", she said, panicking. "You brought me right to them!"

"Wait, who? We we're just going to take your Hallex", I explained.

"It's Jeet. He set you up", she retorted, pulling at her bindings. "...by the goddess"

"Wait. How has he set us up?" I asked, puzzled.

She had a genuine look of fear in her eye, "He's set you up, to get to me".

I was about to speak again but my brother entered, staggering into the hold.

"Oh, you're awake. We'll be at C-Sec Dock E6 in 5 minutes", he said smugly. "We'll take that Hallex off your hands and you can trot off back to Aria".

She slumped her head and sighed. Aran was smiling stupidly at her, but I held much more concern for our well-being, "Lyra, what has Jeet done?"

She looked up at me, and stared with broken eyes. She began to explain, "The Hallex was Bellamy's idea. We were always gonna do it, but I wanted to get closer to Aria, earn her trust."

She coughed weakly, before continuing, "Bellamy started to work on his career at C-Sec, to give us an in. I was getting shit done for Aria, she started to like me, started givin' me bigger jobs".

She shifted on the floor and weakly raised her head, "Jeet was always fuckin' jealous".

Aran and I were captivated by the sudden revelations. She continued, "He always wanted to be Aria's favourite pet. He was always trying to catch me out. Following me, stealing from me...but he never found anything".

Aran interjected, "So, why would Jeet want to steal from Aria?"

Lyra shot him a scathing look, "He doesn't, but I do."

"And now you've lead us all right to him. Now he has what he needs to get me out of the picture with Aria".

"Shit!", I exclaimed softly.

"We can just say we had nothing to do with it!", Aran reasoned.

"He's got us. It's over", Lyra said, depressed.

Aran started to run to the cockpit, "We can still fly away! We don't have to dock!"

Lyra paused with her answer, her senses still evading her, "You locked in the codes, dipshit".

"We're dead".


	7. Trap

Aran paced frantically around the cargo hold. The ship began to decelerate as we approached the C-Sec docking bay. The landing gear un folding vibrated the hull around us. The anxiety was getting more intense now. Aran was pulling at his hair and breathing heavily. Lyra looked simply defeated, like there was no escape. My mind was flashing every possible outcome, trying to find a solution. I knelt by Lyra's side, eyes darting left to right, thinking. There had to be something we could do. Anything.

The ship ripped through the dock's forcefield and stopped forward motion. The ship touched down with a controlled thud. The ship's VI began to flash up '**DESTINATION REACHED**' in green letters on a screen by the stairwells. Footsteps outside drew nearer, before scattering around the ship. Only one set of footsteps persisted until it was outside the loading ramp. A forceful rapping began on the closed ramp, not from a fist but from the butt of a pistol. Aran and I exchanged frightened glances in the silence. The rapping started again, this time much louder; more aggressive. A voice followed,

"Yo, Aran. Let's get this Hallex movin'"

It was Jeet. Aran looked at me, about to reply. We had a short argument with our eyes before he finally spoke up,

"Hey Jeet, just gettin' the barrels ready. We'll be two seconds"

Aran unfolded the shotgun and pointed at the ramp. Sweat was shining on his forehead, his pupils wide. He mopped his brow with the back of his arm and swallowed dryly. I pulled myself to my feet, keeping my gaze fixed on the ramp. I remembered Lyra, slumped at my heel, and quickly knelt down to untie her. Aran loudly whispered, '_ISAAC!_', giving me a fierce look, indicating I should stop. His eyes looked wild and unstable, so I heeded his warning. I stood up straight again, giving Lyra one last sympathetic glance before looking back at my brother. His eyes stayed fixed on the ramp. He suddenly shut his eyes and took a deep breath, folding the shotgun back onto his waist.

I stared in disbelief as he headed for the door release. After a defeated press of the button, the loading ramp began to open. Jeet was revealed to us agonisingly slowly, standing with his hands behind his back, with a broad smile on his face. Aran and I cautiously eyed him as he slowly stepped onto the ship, his smile unbreaking as he returned both of our gazes. He walked straight to Lyra, still unmoving and knelt down next to her. He lifted her chin to look upon her face. His smile became much more sinister now. Lyra was completely unresponsive to the man she had such hatred for. He dropped her chin and stood upright. He turned gracefully to Aran,

"Thank you", Jeet said, calmly.

Jeet walked back down the loading ramp, with a cheerful gait. he signalled with his hands to the right and left of the ship. After a moment of harmonius clicking, half a dozen thugs wandered onto the ship. Aran and I took a cautious step back, edging closer together. Aran placed his hand on the shotgun, but they ignored us. They began unfastening the barrels and rolling them off the ramp. Aran and I gave each other a perplexed look, before my brother stepped forward to one of the thugs,

"We wanna speak to Jeet", my brother stated, with a rare quiver in his voice.

The man he asked stopped what he was doing and glared at Aran.

"Jeet!", Aran called out down the loading ramp. Aran tried to pursue him down the ramp but the thug grabbed his collar and threw him back onto the ship. The barrels were nearly unloaded, so idle thugs stood guard at the bottom of the ramp. The last barrel was attached to Lyra. She was propped against it, still dazed as two men approached her. They worked on unattaching her from the barrel as Aran and I were still frozen with the threat of six armed men with unknown orders. Once Lyra was detactched, she was cast onto the floor as the last barrel was rolled out. The man who remained spoke into a communicator on his omni-tool,

"Package is secured", he stated gruffly. He paused as a response was given, looking down at his wrist. "Roger that", he replied, before looking back up at the three of us. he whistled to the men behind him, who in seconds had us surrounded. They fixed their guns on Aran and I, with Lyra still in no shape to retaliate. The oldest, more grizzled thug stepped forward and barked,

"Move!"

Aran proceeded toward the ramp after a moments hesitation. I bent down to pick up Lyra which prompted one of the younger thugs to kick me with a gigantic boot, and pull me towards the ramp. As I was dragged off, I looked back at Lyra with frantic concern as she lay there. The thug released me, causing me to stagger. He nudged me with the end of his rifle and gestured to a door at the end of the hanger. Four of the thugs followed my brother and I, fixing their concentration upon us.

As we reached the end of the hangar, the door opened. Jeet emerged with exactly the same smile on his face. He moved out of the way of the door courteously, watching us as we passed. Inside the room was a wide table, with two chairs facing one on the other side. The room was brightly lit with apple-white walls. Shelves covered one wall with assorted boxes arranged haphazardly. Two thugs followed us in, followed by Jeet. He gestured to the two chairs at the table. Aran and I reluctantly seated ourselves. Jeet took the chair opposite, with his hands rested on the table.

"You're about to make a lot of money, fellas", Jeet said, still smiling. I eyed the thugs by the door before speaking,

"What's with the welcome, Jeet?"

"Just a precaution", he explained. "I know how persusive that woman can be, I didn't know whether she spun you one of her stories".

Jeet leant back in his chair, still staring at my brother and I. His smile had dropped now, his lips now sullen, "That woman will say anything, if it means savin' her skin".

I looked at Aran, who did not return my glance. his eyes stayed fixed on Jeet.

"So, what happens now?", Aran queried.

"What happens now? You guys need to sit tight. While we're movin' this Hallex, we don't want to risk anything fuckin' this up", Jeet replied, apologetically.

"How long will that take?", I asked, suspiciously.

Jeet's eyes darted to me. He licked his lip before speaking,

"Oh. Not long at all".

"So, we can't leave?", Aran asked.

Jeet stood up from his chair, and checked his omni-tool.

"Afraid not, boys", he said, unattentively. "Believe me, we're all in this for some big, quick credits, but we all have to put in some time".

He walked around the back of our chairs, and snatched the shotgun from Aran's waist.

"Don't want any accidents, do we?" he said, before smiling maniacally. He strolled to the door, gesturing something to the guards, and left. I gave Aran a panicked look, who had his gaze fixed on the table. I scanned the room frantically for a solution, but none became apparent. The guards were giving us both fierce stares, squeezing their guns tightly. It seemed as though we weren't here in the interests of hospitality.

"So, do we have to stay in this room?", I asked, after half an hour of silence. I was met with two sets of cold, dead eyes staring a loud answer.

"What about the asari we were with? What's going to happen to her?"

I found the same unyielding silence again. I was about to ask a third question, when I felt a small but persistent nudge on my leg. I turned subtly to look beneath the table. I found my brother's hands tapping the bottom of the table, before pointing either side of it. His face was unchanging as he continued to give me strange signals. I looked back to the guards, who were still watching us closely, although seemed oblivious to the secret messages my brother provided. I looked back down to see three fingers raised. They quickly changed to two, and I still had no idea what it was for. One finger followed, before a blur of chaos unfolded.

I was shoved off my chair to the side, hitting the floor hard. in the confusion, I noticed the table fly towards the two guards, slamming them into the wall. Their guns dropped to the floor with a clatter, and their heads were pinned by the table. Their faces were turning a blood-shiny red, as they gasped for breath. My brother grunted and growled as he pressed harder and harder, gritting his teeth with savage eyes. I could ony watch as the two men's eyes bulged out their skull, and their faces become ever more congested with blood. The malice and hatred in their eyes now turned to that of base childish fear, the will to survive. They panicked and scratched at the table as the cartilage in their windpipes began to crack, the panic in their eyes glazing over, they were now uncaring. A capsule of their final moments.

Aran released the table, causing them to fall to the floor in a heap. I remained rooted to where I was, paralysed by fear of my brother; now amplified. He kicked one of the rifles to me before picking up the other. I stared blankly at the gun for a few seconds, before shakily grasping it. Aran approached me as I stared at him in complete fear. He grabbed my collar and hoisted me to my feet. he placed his powerful hand on my shoulder, and looked into my eyes.

"It's all for you, Isaac", he said, in a deep hum. "I hope you know that".

His gaze lingered on my quivering face for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Come on, we're leaving. You and me."

He headed to the door, slowly and softly, with his gun raised. I followed him cautiously, concentrating on his movements. Thinking about his actions.

'_It's all for me_'


	8. Escape

The door slid open revealing a hangar devoid of life. The thugs were gone, Jeet was gone, Lyra was gone. Aran lead me out cautiously, scanning every crevice of the room. He carefully proceeded into the main body of the hangar. It was empty. Aran turned back to me and lowered his gun. He looked around in annoyed despair and said, under his breath, "damn it". I apprehensively approached him, he seemed calmer now. As I drew nearer, i noticed something flashing on the underside of the ship. Shit.

"Aran!" I screamed. "Get-"

I was assaulted by a blining flash of light followed by darkness.

I awoke to a deafening ringing in my ears. I could not yet see but could at least feel a crippling pain in my side. I reached down to test it with my fingers. At the touch, it stinged and ached, causing me to wince. It felt slightly wet, but more viscous than water. My vision began to return, and the world fell into place around me. The hangar was in ruins, the ship was destroyed and nearly all the crates were ablaze. My eyes began to regain focus now, and my hearing began to respond to muffled voices. I looked to find the voices and saw five figures at the other side of the hangar. The flames made it hard to see but I could definitely make out the head prongs of a salarian. Jeet.

The thugs were lined up behind Jeet, rifles in hand. I could see Jeet looking down, with his hands behind his back. I arched up, through the pain, to get a better look. There was a man, weakly clutching at Jeet's legs. Aran. I tried to hoist myself up, but fell back down immediately. I looked on at the group, bearing down on my brother; my blood. I tried to crawl but only made it an insignificant distance. Jeet turned his back on my brother and walked behind his thugs. My vision was blurred, and blood was beginning to soak my chest. The thugs stepped forward, Aran stayed writhing on the floor. There was a collection of lights and a low rumble. Aran ceased his struggle.

I let out a stifled gasp. Despair ran deep through my body as I looked on at my brother's murder. The grief began to distort my senses. My vision faded, and everything was black again.

I awoke to a searing pain in my side. My eyes slowly opened to find my world revolving. A boot turned me onto my back. A thug bore down on me, with a dark grin on his face. He stepped back from where I lay and Jeet approached by my shoulders. He knelt down, looking into my face. I struggled to focus on him. I was badly injured, I could feel it now. The life was dripping from me.

"You fucked up, kid", Jeet said, plainly. His massive eyes studied my face as he paused.

"You should have stayed on Earth, it's dangerous for kids to play out here".

"Fuck...y-you", I retorted, spluttering softly.

"Charming", Jeet said, with a slight chuckle.

"Your fuckhead brother is dead, and your girlfriend is getting shipped back to Omega with a goodwill note from yours truly".

I felt such vitriol for his words but lacked the means to express it. I could only lie back and listen to him talk before I'm killed. I did not fear death anymore, everything I had, everything I could have had, was gone. Earth. Aran. Lyra. All dust on the wind, and I had accepted it; and accepted that I would soon join them. Jeet turned my chin towards his face.

"There's only one rule on Omega, kid", he stated. "You know what it is?"

I stared blankly into his face, not giving him any satisfaction. He leaned in closer, grabbing my collar.

"Don't fuck with Aria", he quoted, with a hint of menacing pride. he dropped me onto my back again and stood up. He walked from my field of view, followed by more footsteps towards me. This was it. I closed my eyes, waiting for release.

The footsteps stopped. I could heard their rifles click and prime. I took in a deep breath. The darkness did not come. Instead came a loud crash, interjected with visceral splatters and thumps. I turned my head and opened my eyes to see two of the thugs, against the wall at the end of a trail of blood that trickled down form a large, dispersed blob. Jeet and three others were toppled around each other, clumsily scrambling to regain their feet. I turned my head to my other side to find a pair of legs, naked. I followed them to find an uncomfortable sight. It was Lyra's naked body, marred with scratches and bruises. Her chest rose and fell very fast, her hands clenched into fists, flickering with dark blue light. Her face looked beaten, but angrier than I had ever seen it.

She stepped over my body and walked determinely towards the scrabbling pile of flesh. As one of the thugs regained his feet, he charged at Lyra. With an almighty grunt, Lyra ripped him from where he stood and hurled him into a nearby column. The crack was deafening. He fell to the floor in a lifeless heap. Two of the other thugs gained their feet, and stampeded towards the exposed woman. As they charged, Jeet climbed to his feet and scurried to the cargo door of the hangar. I tried to pull myself up, but all my strength was sapped. Lyra noticed him run too, but was forced to deal with the immediate threat. Her naked form pulsated with a huge blast of blue light, lifting her from her feet. The shockwave powered into the two helpless men, firing them back to the wall. Their heads smashed into the wall, leaving a small spray of blood. They twitched erratically before ceasing all movement.

The cargo door slammed shut. Lyra sprinted over, getting ready for another biotic assault. She fired a stream of blue energy iinto the heavy metal door, but it stayed where it was. She tried again, and again. She ran closer and fired another attack, screaming as she went. It was futile. Jeet was gone. She fell to her knees, and punched the floor in blind frustration. My eyes closed once again, unable to keep them open anymore. Lyra's screams of despair became ever distant. My head was swimming.

I was drowning.


	9. Awakening

The space between life and death, existence and non-existence, was vast and lonely. The void seemed to continue for an eternity. I had no discernable senses; yet I was more aware than I had ever been. I was allowed to think, contemplate my life and how it had been shaped. I was far into it now, so far down the rabbithole that there was only two outcomes now: living as a shell; looking over my shoulder for my assassin to release me, or death, on my own terms. Jeet had to pay for what he did, killing my brother like an animal, but vengance did not stir. My brother was murdered and I lacked the desire for retribution. Something was wrong.

The world began to return. First, there were sounds, creaking and banging, like hearing them underwater. Then came the smells, damp and alcohol; seperate, but both as overpowering as the other. Then the light came, bursting through the cracks between my eyelids, the bright, artificial light, forcing my eyes to slowly open. At first I couldnt see anything, just streaks of light, which were almost celestial. Shapes around the room began to form, grey boxes dotted around the floor, and what appeared to be an open window, with a silhouetted figure perched on the windowledge. Lyra.

She was staring out the window with her brow furrowed, watching the transports streak through the ward. She still wore her bruises, so I could ascertain that the events in the hangar were still recent. She straddled the ledge, with her leg dangled carelessly over the side. She had in her hand a shotgun, clearly not perceiving the threat from Omega to be gone. I attempted to sit up but could not muster the strength. I tried to speak, but instead let out a low, pathetic groan. Lyra's attention quickly focused on me, she swung round off the ledge and hurried to my side. She leant over me, trying to look into my nearly-closed eyes. I wanted to greet her but could not find the words or the means to do so.

"Isaac?", she said, gently tapping my face. She looked away from me for a second and shouted, "Ed! He's waking up!"

I opened my eyes a little more and the room became much more clear. I was in a doctor's surgery, with medical instruments populating the tops of the grey boxes. Although, it didn't look like a sanctioned medbay, there was damp leaking from the walls and the medigel container looked as if it were torn from a wall. A man marched through the door, he was short and balding with a craggy face. He had grey and black stubble marring his wisened, old face. He looked down at me, concentrating. He shined a small torch into my eyes and grumbled. He walked over to the counter and picked up a needle. Upon his return, he shooed Lyra from my side, who retreated begrudgingly a few steps back. He shot the needle into my leg, telling me immediately that I could still feel pain. He lifted my shirt to check my side, and prodded the edge. I winced audibly with pain to which he smiled.

"Good", he said, before addressing Lyra, "He'll be fully awake in a few minutes. You can stay until he can walk, then you're out. Got it?"

"Yeah", Lyra replied, slightly subdued. "Thanks, Ed. I owe you one".

"Yeah", Ed said gruffly. "You do".

Ed walked out of the door, and Lyra pulled up a chair by my head. She sat down and looked into my face, brushing my hair back with her hand. Her face was still marked by trauma, but she was still as beautiful as ever. My eyes opened weakly, and I let out a soft murmur.

"Hey sweetie", she said softly. "How you feelin'?"

I could not answer right away, instead turning my head into her hand and beholding her face.

"Just great", I answered, with a dim sense of sarcasm. She smiled sweetly at me, and planted a divine kiss on my forehead. My eyes closed at the touch, pleasure streaked from the point of contact and made me feel alive. I opened my eyes once more, Lyra reached for the shotgun she had forgotten when I awoke. She eyed the door cautiously for a few seconds before looking back to me.

"I'm sorry about your brother", she said, abruptly. "I couldn't get to him in time".

"I just can't believe he's gone", I croaked softly. "He always looked out for me".

"I know", said Lyra, soothingly. "He was a good guy. You could tell he loved you more than anything".

"He was proud of you".

I thought deeply about my brother in a few moments silence, grieving his death and remembering his life. He was my hero, fought my corner always, and I loved him for it. I suddenly remembered how I last saw Lyra, naked and beaten, more angry than I had ever saw her.

"What had happened to you?" I asked.

"You don't want to know", she replied, darkly. "Those men were animals".

Her face showed her remembrance as she briefly looked away. She turned back to me slightly smiling.

"If it weren't for Aran, we wouldn't be sittin' here now", she said, proudly. "He saved us both".

I smiled too. He was a hero.

After a few hours, I was able to stand. Lyra propped me on her shoulder, and I managed a few pigeon steps across the surgery floor. My legs ached, but they did have strength there. Lyra encouraged me every step I made, eventually allowing me to walk a short distance by myself, before staggering into a counter. She ran over to prop me up, "OK, we're not quite ready for that, are we?".

The door whooshed open and Ed walked in.

"Look who's up", he said, sounding slightly bored. "Sit on the bed, please".

I heeded his words, limping over with Lyra's help. I perched on the end of the bed, the flexing of my arm causing me pain. Ed walked over with some medigel and another needle. He lifted my shirt and rubbed the medigel onto my side. It burned momentarily but subsided into numbness. He kept my shirt lifted and reached for a roll of bandages. He began snaking it around my ribcage, wrapping it tighter and tighter as he wound. He taped it up and pulled my shirt back down. Without warning, he jabbed the needle into my leg. It hurt more this time, now I was completely awake. Ed shot Lyra a stern look and she nodded. She put her arm around my back and hoisted me up.

We made our way to the door, hobbling using Lyra's shoulder. Ed opened the door for us, handing Lyra a small holdall. She accepted it and smiled at Ed. He nodded in acknowledgement and closed the door as we left. We moved slowly down a maze of winding corridors before we came out at a small cab platform. Lyra hailed one down, which landed whirring infront of us. She carefully helped me lie down on the back seat. She climbed into the front, throwing the bag in with me.

"Point 23", she said to the driver. The driver nodded curtly and fired up the drivers. In a second, we were airborne and streaming to the lines of traffic. Lyra sat not speaking, staring out the front window. I lay in the back, thinking about what had happened, when the same question kept popping up.

"What the hell do we do now?"


	10. Together

I slowly edged up the fifth flight of stairs, Lyra supporting my back as I hoisted myself onward. My legs were still weak, but stronger than before. My ribs still felt smashed open, but mending. The stairs seemed to be going forever, and the lack of an elevator was perplexing.

"I think I'll be okay from here", I proclaimed, turning my head towards Lyra. She loosened her hands from my back, but they still remained in anticipation.

"You sure?", she asked, attentively. I nodded while pulling myself up another step. "Okay, nearly there anyway".

I climbed the last step with a low grunt, and was presented with a long, brightly lit corridor. Doorways lined the corridor's edges, with a red and black striped carpet running through the middle. The building looked nice, not upmarket but well kept. Lyra lead me along to a door midway along the corridor. She palnted her omnitool onto the holographic lock. It whirred momentarily before the door slid open, revealing a stylish apartment.

"Woah", I said, never setting foot in a place like this before. "This place yours?"

Lyra dumped her jacket on the counter, and opened the fridge. She pulled out a thing that looked like a cake and shoved it immediately in her mouth, jam oozing and dribbling from her chin.

"Huh?", she replied, muffled. "No, itsh a fend of minesh plashe".

She tossed me a cake and ate another herself. I took a bite but had no real appetite, putting it on a table next to the door. The apartment was small, but seemed very spacious. It was open plan with a gigantic window on one side, revealing a spectacular vista of the ward.

"What friend? Will they know we're here?", I asked.

"You know him. Bellamy", she replied, nonplussed by the association.

"Bellamy?!" I asked, incredulously. "Where is he? They're gonna come straight to us!"

"Hey, we're fine", Lyra said, trying to assure me. "We're only staying the night then we're getting a transport off the citadel".

"So where is he?", I asked, as I lowered myself on to the armrest of the couch.

"He probably got himself off the citadel, only smart thing to do when Aria's comin' down on you", she explained, rooting around in a cupboard.

"But Jeet had his ID", I argued. "He got our ship onto the citadel with it".

Lyra stood up, holding a bottle and two glasses. She walked over to the speaker system, and put on some downbeat electronic.

"Look", she said, walking over to join me. "Jeet, Bellamy and I all had a history, you probably know that by now, but Bellamy's a smart guy, he smelt a rat and bolted. We always said we wouldn't be heroes if Aria figured us out".

"But what if-", I said but stopped when I realised that my questions were futile. Lyra sat on the couch next to me. She patted the seat next to her, so I climbed of the armrest and limped over to her. She started pouring the wine, smiling as they filled. She handed me a glass, and picked up hers.

"Fuck, I need this", she proclaimed, staring at the glass. She was about to drink but stopped. She turned to me and raised her glass.

"To Aran", she said, looking at me expextantly.

"To Aran", I echoed, meeting her glass with mine, causing a resonant chime from the glasses. Lyra finished her glass in one go, releasing a satisfied sigh. She went to pour herself another, while I had only had a small sip. I put my glass down, with a burning question that couldn't be contained.

"Why are you doing this?", I asked, staring at her.

"What? We might be dead tomorrow, we need to live like it!", she exclaimed, raising her glass again, and drinking at least half of it in one.

"No, I meant, why are you helping me?"

"Because you're my little sweetie", she said, in a playful tone, squeezing my face with her hand. I smiled slightly, which she returned, releasing my face.

"You know what I mean, Lyra. We tried to rip you off. We were gonna leave you for Jeet", I said, slightly ashamed of the words.

"Listen", she said, leaning closer to me. "What's past is past, you didn't know me. Why would you care about me?". She finished her drink, tilting her head back.

"But I'd bet my left tit, that you wouldn't do it again", she said, eyeing me drunkenly. "We look out for each other now, we've been through a lot".

I looked down at my knees, taking in her words. She nudged my arm forcefully, causing me to return my attention back to her.

"Am I right?", she asked.

"Yeah", I replied, softly. "I'd be dead if it weren't for you".

"Well then", she said. "Drink up, you pussy".

I smiled, and proceeded to take a large gulp of my wine.

The night started to fly by. As we lost our inhibitions, we danced and laughed and told stories of home, of my brother. She seemed enthralled by my recollections, listening intently. When we danced, we did so like nothing else mattered, although admittedly I couldn't do anything to extreme. She was amazing, when she was next to me, I felt as if I could do anything. She was strong, funny and amazingly beautiful, and I knew she cared about me. We danced closer and closer as the night progressed, her hand sitting on my shoulder, mine on her waist. her leg flicking up my leg as she moved sensually.

Her eyes were fixed on mine, passion burned inside. She moved closer to me, her arms wrapped softly around my neck, as she gazed up at me. My hands instinctively moved squeeze her waist firmly, as we swayed with the tempo. Her hips pressed into my groin, and she smiled seductively. She moved side to side slowly, still holding my gaze. She licked her rich, blue lips in anticipation, still keeping a playful smirk. Almost without knowing, my head moved to hers. Our lips met in a moment of unparalleled ecstasy. She raised herself on her tip toes to meet the embrace, which felt eternal. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. Her hand held my face, stroking my cheek. Her face was glowing with the same blue aura I had seen before, but it was different, much more subdued as it danced over her form.

I lifted her higher through the pain, causing her to wrap her legs around my hips. She moaned slightly at the sudden change of altitude and bucked her hips into mine. She tilted her head back, panting, allowing me to passionately kiss her neck. She voiced her pleasure with a purring sigh. She looked upon me once again, unspeaking. Her green eyes burning into mine, she smiled slightly before saying, "You and me, yeah? Whatever happens". I held her stare before nodding. I kissed her deeply once again and carried her to the couch. I set her down roughly. She sprawled on the couch as she watched remove my shirt. Her eyes lit up, even though my physique was far from athletic. "Hmm, I suppose you'll do", she said, eyeing me up and down. She pulled her shirt over her head, revealing her full breasts contained by a black bra. As I moved over to her, my eyes studying her perfect physique, I noticed the bruises and scratches dotted across her skin.

"Those bastards", I said, stopping where I stood and tracing my hand over her marks. She grabbed my wrist. "Hey", she said, softly. I looked up to see her wholly focused on me. "They're dead". She released my wrist and leant into the sofa, her body language open.

"Come here", she said, softly.

I gently lowered myself onto her, kissing her neck and the top of her chest. She clutched at my back, her fingers massaging my flesh. Her hands moved down my back, encouraging me to press into her. She gasped at the touch and opened her eyes, which were now black voids. I worked on unclipping her bra, which came easier than expected, popping open and dropping down her shoulders. She wriggled it off her arms and tossed it carelessly. Her breats were stunning, bountiful with beautifully pert nipples. She grasped at my hair, pulling at it gently. Her hands were all over me, but eventually found their way to my belt, which she quickly set to work on undoing. She tugged at it untill it released, and started easing my trousers off. I helped her by shaking them onto the floor, smiling widely at her. I moved back into the kiss but was met with a finger over my lips.

She eased out from underneath me and stood up, her beautiful form silhouetted by the window. She peeled her trousers down, which hugged her legs tightly. Once they had joined the other clothes on the floor, she leaned into my ear as I lay on the couch.

"Be a darlin' and bring another bottle to the bedroom", she whispered, her hot breath caressing my ear. Her lips flickered a kiss below my ear. She walked sexily across the room as I watched her from the couch. Her perfect ass swayed as she walked, only covered by her small black panties. As she opened the door to the bedroom, she took one last seductive look at me, before disappearing through the door. I immediately rose and grabbed the glasses, before running to the kitchen and pulling another bottle of wine from the cupboard. I practically skipped toward the bedroom, completely forgetting my injury. I opened the door with my elbow, and backed into the room. The light was dim, but not dark enough that I couldn't see. I could see Lyra stood infront of an open wardrobe, studying it.

"Hey", I said as I approached. "Glass of wine for the la-". That's when I saw it. A body, a man suspended in the cupboard, hanging. His face was purple, veins bulging in his neck. His eyes were slightly protruding from their sockets, but were completely rolled back. He was unclothed, apart from women's underwear. His body and his face was completely covered in writing, the same sentence all over him as he slowly revolved.

_'ONE RULE'_


	11. Dario

"Oh god...", I gasped in disbelief at the horror in front of us. Lyra continued to stare, unmoving and unblinking. The rope creaked as the body turned. I put the glasses down, and approached Lyra. It was only when Lyra eventually reacted that I realised who this was, she fell to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. I knelt down to comfort her, cradling her shoulders and squeezing her closer. She could barely look back at him, the macabre man; rotating slowly. It was Bellamy. The message was clear, we had to leave.

"Lyra", I said, trying to get her attention, but to no avail.

"Lyra", I repeated, shaking her slightly. She turned to me, eyes darkened with tears cascasing down her cheeks. "We have to leave".

"No", she said, her speech masked by sorrow. She crawled over and held her head to his feet. "I'm not leaving him".

I stared for a second, empathetic to her loss. I reached out to her shoulder, and carressed it as she continued to sob. I stood up and quickly proceeded to the kitchen, and grabbed a knife. I marched back to the bedroom, to find Lyra still helpless.

"I'm going to cut him down", I explained, waiting for approval. She was unreactive, so I hesitantly reached up to the rope and began to saw at the fibres. After a few seconds of cutting, the rope gave way allowing me to catch him and lower him to the ground. His face remained the same. Lyra threw herself on himin a grieving embrace. I could only stand and watch as she cried over him. After a while, the urgency of the situation couldn't wait any longer. I knelt down to Lyra and held her shoulder.

"Lyra, we can't stay here", I said. "I know you dont want to leave him and I'm sorry, but they know where we are".

She continued to sob onto his chest, smudging the ink from the warning he was covered in. I returned to the lounge, to retrieve our clothes. I heaped them next to her, to which she didn't react. I began dressing myself, observing her crying over this man, contemplating what their relationship had been for a reaction like this. I remained silent however, thinking about our next step, we had no way off the citadel, we were surely being watched here.

"Lyra, Jeet's probably on his way up here now, we have to leave!" I said, forcefully. the crying, subsided. Her breathing got louder and louder. Her fists began to clench on his chest. She rose from where she was and released an earsplitting cry of pain and anger. She pounded a wall with her hand, repeatedly smashing into it, her biotics flaring. Blood began to appear on the wall, in larger and larger volumes. I stormed over to her and grabbed her shoulders. She turned to me, with a look of unparalleled fury.

"Lyra, listen to me, this isn't going to help", I said, looking deep into her black eyes. "You want to get revenge? That isn't going to happen if we stick around here any longer".

She looked straight at me, shaking with anger. "I know you don't want to leave him, but we have to. I'm sorry", I continued. Her eyes darted back to Bellamy, her face growing less angry now. She looked back to me and flung her arms arond my neck. She pressed he forehead into my chest, squeezing me tightly.

"That fucker", she whispered, harshly.

"I know", I said, gently rubbing her back as we embraced. I moved back to look at her, she raised her head. "Let's go and get him", I said, giving her a half-smile.

She nodded, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. I picked up her clothes and handed them to her. "Here", I said. "Go into the bathroom, I'll get him cleaned up". She hesitated slightly, looking back to Bellamy, before heeding my words. After she'd left, I took a deep breath and crouched down next to him. I cut the underwear from him and cast it to the other side of the room. I walked to the kitchen and retrieved a wet sponge. I returned to the bedroom and got to work on wiping the words from him. As I worked, the threat of Aria burned deeper into me: _ONE RULE_. I managed to get most of it off his face and arms. It was more difficult to get it off the hairier parts of his body. I rooted in the drawers to find a pair of boxers. I managed to slide them up his legs to cover his modesty in death. Despite his eyes bulging, I managed to close his eyes before lifting him onto the bed. I wrapped his body and neck in the sheet to make him look as peaceful as possible.

Lyra returned to the room, dressed. She entered the room with a small rucksack. She stopped when she saw him, cocking her head slightly. She walked over to him and kissed softly him on the forehead. She brushed his hair back and smiled. She returned to me and took my hand in hers. She shook it gently, looking down at it before saying, "Thank you". She reached up and kissed me on the cheek, before leading me from the room and closing the door.

As we walked into the kitchen, Lyra placed the rucksack on the counter. She grabbed a few cans from the cupboard and threw them in. She opened a drawer and pulled out a pistol, throwing it in the bag. She pulled out another one, cocked it and handed it to me. I tucked it into my waist, before concealing it with my shirt. She grabbed her jacket and threw it on.

"Ready?", Lyra asked, in a surprisingly upbeat manner.

"Uh...yeah", I said, hesitantly.

Lyra picked up the bag and threw it over her shoulder. I followed her to the front door, ready to face what could be our death. However, both of us had gained an indifference to the idea, both of us experiencing heavy loss and now on a path of revenge. Lyra opened the door and peered out. She scanned both ways, before cautiously proceeding out.

As we neared the entrance to the building, we were anxious of everyone we passed: a salarian on a communicator, the janitor eyeing us as we passed, the two krogan arguing by the door. Everyone was suspect; Aria was everywhere. As we emerged onto the street, we quickly hailed a cab, hurrying over to it before it landed. Lyra threw her bag onto the back seat and piled in next to it, allowing me to follow.

"Where to?", the turian said, looking at us in his mirror.

"Dock 5, C-Sec outpost", Lyra said, fumbling in her bag.

"You got it", he said, firing up the cab. After we'd been flying for about fifteen minutes, Lyra pulled out a datapad and started typing on it. She extended it into the front so the driver could see, meaning I could also see it. It read: _Don't say anything. Drop us at the Fuckpit-Lower Wards if you wanna keep your head. _She pulled her pistol out the bag and leant forward, barrel fixed on the driver. He immediately pulled out of the traffic and descended into the ward.

As he landed, he turned around and aid, with a crack in his voice, "15 credits". Although he was shaking his head as he spoke. We climbed out of the taxi, which sped away as soon as we closed the doors. We had arrived at a small market place, brimming with people moving in every direction. The floor was damp and shone in the artificial lights. There were steaming pipes running overhead, which dripped every now and again. There were a few makeshift stalls, which seemed to be selling food or guns. The edges of the market were flanked by people standing around, shiftily looking around at the denizens of the market. As we proceeded through the crowd, a neon sign became gradually unobscured. It read: '_fu k pit'_, with a few letters flickering and the _c _completely non-functional. The krogan outside stared me down, making me quiver in nervous anticipation.

"Hey, Lyra", he said, gruffly.

"Hey, Torck", she replied. "Dario in?"

"Yeah, he's in back", he answered. "Who's the grub?"

"This is my associate".

He grunted in acknowledgement, before asking, "He cool?"

"I don't know about cool, but he's a good guy".

"Ha! Grub have a name?", Torck said, addressing me.

I looked to Lyra for approval before speaking, "Isaac".

"Hm. Think I like grub better", Torck replied, staring at me though his reptilian eyes.

"OK, have a good one", he continued, stepping aside and slapping me on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Torck", Lyra said, smiling.

As we passed him onto a dark corridor, Lyra chuckled, "Grub".

"Shut up", I retorted, smiling slightly.

We emerged through a dangling bead curtain into a small, cramped room with a bar at the far edge. The room was flanked on the left by stripper poles, being utilised by asari and humans alike, and on the right by red doors. A turian emerged from one with his head down, glancing around the room as he headed for the exit. In the middle of the room were small tables dotted around, people on them trying to have hushed conversations ofer the deafening, thumping music. We proceeded over to the bar and sat on the stools. An asari barmaid hurried over, smiling.

"Hey, Lyra", she said, reaching out to Lyra's cheek.

"Hey, baby", Lyra replied, leaning in and kissing her hard and dominantly on the mouth. It continued for a few seconds, before the barmaid pulled away and asked, "Who's your friend?"

"His name is Isaac, he's workin' with me", Lyra answered.

"Oh. Isaac, huh?", she said, looking me up and down. "I don't know how you'd get any work done with a man like that around". She giggled, before leaning over revealing some impressive cleavage, "You wanna get to know each other a little better, honey?"

"Uh...I-I-...", I stuttered, glancing nervously at Lyra.

"Sorry baby, maybe another time. Your boss in?", Lyra asked.

"Oh, all business. Yeah, he's in back", she replied, with mock disappointment in her voice.

She shot me a smile as we walked toward the office door. The office was tiny, only big enough for a desk, a safe and some security monitors. A heavy-set turian sat behind the desk, a scantily clad girl perched on his lap. He looked up as we entered, studying us.

"Lyra, baby!", he exclaimed, gently tapping the girl's bottom, allowing him to rise and greet Lyra. He gave her an amorous hug, which lasted a good ten seconds. "It's good to see you!". He studied her face, noticing the bruising in the light of the office, "Woah! You been fightin', baby?"

"That's the work of Jeet and his boys", Lyra replied, pulling away from his hand.

"Wait, Jeet did this?", he asked, still studying her face. He turned to the girl, "Give us five would ya, sweetie?". She obeyed immediately, retreating from the room swiftly. "What's with you two, now?".

Lyra sighed, staring at the floor before replying, "He's finally got us".

Dario paused, taking in her answer. He tried to speak a few times but was prevented by thought. Finally, he said, "How much does he know?"

"He caught us moving the Hallex", Lyra answered, still looking at the floor.

"Us? You and, uh, him?", he asked, gesturing to me.

Lyra nodded. Dario's nasal passage flared at her answer. He paused a second before speaking again, "Uh, Aria knows?".

Lyra hesitated and then nodded again.

"FUCK!", Dario screamed, before punching the wall next to Lyra's head. He panted aggressively for a moment, staring at her. All of a sudden, he lifted her by her collar and slammed her into the wall. "You stupid bitch!", He said through gritted teeth. I reached for my pistol, but Lyra held a hand out to stop me.

"She dosen't know anything about you, neither does Jeet", she reasoned.

"You expect me to believe that?", he asked, aggressively.

"The run was quick, unplanned. The only people they know about are me and Isaac. I swear", she said, quickly. Dario glanced at me, and back to Lyra.

"They thought Bellamy was the distributor. Jeet had no idea", she said, staring into his eyes. "He's dead".

Dario sighed, before saying, "I-I'm sorry to hear that, Lyra".

He released he gently, and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry".

Lyra rubbed her neck, looking up at Dario. He paced around the room, in deep thought.

"So, why the fuck aren't you light-years away? Why the fuck are you here?", he finally asked.

"We can't get off the station. Jeet'll see the transport records if we get on a transport", she said. Dario eyed her sternly, silent as she continued, "We need you to get us on a cruiser, without C-Sec seeing it".

Dario walked around to his chair, Lyra and I watching him. He slumped down and tilted his head back. He drummed his fingers on the table in a methodical tune. After half a minute of silence, he began tapping away on his computer. After a few more minutes he rooted in a drawer to pull out two cards, before looking up at us, "You need to get down to dock G2, there is a passenger cruiser leaving for Ilium in four hours. I changed the manifest so you two are on it". He looked down at the two cards and handed one to me, "Brian Newman", and one to Lyra, "Tiona Resali".

"These cards look enough like you that you'll get away with it, no one will give a shit on that ship", he explained.

"Thanks, Dario", Lyra said, smiling.

He nodded in acknowledgement, before saying, "You need to get going. G2, remember?".

Lyra nodded, before gesturing to me to follow her. As we left, Dario spoke once more, causing us to turn around again,

"I don't ever wanna see your fuckin' faces again, got it?"

"We're done".

* * *

A/N: I'm going to put this on the backburner for about a week while I come up with a good direction for it. I'll maybe post a new story to keep myself from going insane.


End file.
